hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
Namasté
At times a person may read a certain śāstra and say 'I do not get it, what is this telling me?' i.e. what's going on here?
A few ideas for your consideration.
trayoḥ arthaḥ sarva-vedeṣhu
(trayoḥ) three (arthaḥ) meanings (sarva) all (vedeṣhu) vedas -or-
There are 3 aims or meanings one can find throughout the various vedas or bodies of knowledge.
These are considered inherent in the veda'-s and great bodies of work one may be introduced to.
What are these 3 aims?
- ādhiyajña - ritualistic meaning; that of yajña or yaj sacrificing , worshipping , a sacrificer
- ādhidaiva- relating to deities; that of the devatā, the higher creative impulses of creation
- ādhyātma - spiritual or esoteric meaning
There is another 3 some also consider:
- The notion of ādhibhoutika - gross external meaning; that relating to bhu भु , to existence - the physical world and common transactions
- The notion that ādhidaiva which includes (within it) ādhiyajña or the praise and worship of the devatā.
- ādhyātma - spiritual or esoteric meaning; the Supreme Spirit अध्यात्म ; belonging to the SELF
So here we sit, the reader, the śiṣya ( some write śishya) or student, the sādhu, a paṇḍita (pundit) or perhaps a śastrī ( one knowledgeable in śastra) and a sādhaka (the accomplished one) reading a passage , a śloka¹, from some great work. What occurs? The values and meanings are different for each pending one's advancement.
The novice sees only words, and is able to make out a few ideas (ādhibhoutika); The paṇḍita and śastrī are able to see more of the knowledge and the linkages to the devatā and to yajña (ādhidaiva), and the sādhaka perhaps will view the passage as an extension of his own personal experience (ādhyātma) .
What is this telling us? Knowledge is different in different states of consciousness or awareness. Knowledge becomes lively or fuller (pūrṇa) as one opens themselves to the expanded vision of awareness¹ , that is, as the 'container' of consciousness expands, so does comprehension.
A key tenet or axiom as I see it is, reading does not insure comprehension. Reading says I looked at the words, I am able to sound them out, yet it does not insure that comprehension took place.
A simple example. Take a student of the 8th grade and give him/her a calculus book. The words can be articulated without flaw, yet is the meaning aptly understood?
Take the aspirant that this entering into the study and practice of Sānatana dharma. They pick up a book, say Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad. What will they see? They will see the words on the page, sound them out and try to the best to their ability to make sense of what they read, pending their comprehension and the quality of consciousness they maintain.
It is not unusual to say ' I don't get this - I do not understand what is being said in this passage (śloka)'. Hence the only available meaning at that time is ādhibhoutika.
To the ardent student this may be a motivation to learn and study more e.g. 'I don't get it , now where can I find this answer'.
For others not 'getting it' may also be a deterrent e.g. 'I don't get this, so what's the use of trying'.
It is said much of the veda-s where written in symbolic language (saṃketa) so only those with aspirations to achieve this knowledge would gain access to it. Hence much of the learning is available to the 'eager' student, the one that applies him/her self to study and practice. Also many choose a teacher, guru or paṇḍita for help which is wise and a natural compliment to one's learning.
There also has been a natural 'water fall' of knowledge offered - that is, from the veda-s and āgama-s¹, then to the upaniṣad-s, then to purāṇa-s ( Śiva purāṇa, Viṣṇu purāṇa, etc.) and itihāsa-s ( some write itihika-s) such as the Rāmāyaṇa & Mahābhārata . The purpose is to make truth (satyam) available to all levels of ability.
The native or aspirant too has the ability to assist by grooming and culturing their own awareness and increasing the ability for comprehension i.e. for opening and expansion of awareness ( the container).
praṇām
words and references
- trayoḥ arthaḥ sarva-vedeṣhu
- traya त्रय - triple , threefold , consisting of 3 , of 3 kinds
- artha अर्थ - aim, purpose, meaning, notion
- sarva-vedeṣhu : sarva सर्व manifold , various , different; veda वेद knowledge; true or sacred knowledge or lore , knowledge of ritual
- śloka श्लोक - is a stanza; also a hymn of praise
- Expanded vision of awareness - see HDF Post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=25888&postcount=2 if there is interest
- āgama आगम - anything handed down and fixed by tradition
- My references for this thinking : Prof. S.K. Rāmacandra, Prof. R.L. Kaśyap, Mahṛṣi Mehesh yogī, Śrī Aurobindo (Some spell Ôrobindo), T.V. Kāpali Sāstri, M.P.Pandit, Svāmī Muni Nārāyaṇa Prāsad, Svāmī Kṛṣṇānanda
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